More than 400 families across Portland Public Schools every year apply for about 150 spots at the Northeast Portland school that offers every student two electives of music, visual arts or dance. The annual clamor of eager families has made the 18-year-old arts magnet one of the most revered middle school programs in the district.

But parents and teachers worry upcoming changes could alter the essence of the school.

Starting next fall, Principal Fred Locke wants to switch up da Vinci’s schedule to increase time students spend in math and science classes, reducing time for language arts and social studies classes.

Parent Maika Yeigh, a Portland State University professor, recently told school board members: “This is just a drastic change in da Vinci that will turn the school upside down.”

The power struggle echoes a theme making its way across the district. Administrators say changes are necessary to provide adequate instruction for all students. Community members say they’re concerned that top-down directives will force conformity on programs that have flourished because of their unconventional ways.

At da Vinci, teachers such as Andrew Butterfield are concerned changes from the top will affect the foundation of the program.

“I feel like I worked for a long time to work on a program I believe in and worked with,” said Butterfield, who is leaving for Wilson High this fall after 17 years at the school. “I don’t feel like the program can continue in the way I envisioned it and see it.”

Drastic changes?

Locke believes he knows the core principles of da Vinci, which focuses on arts and a strong community.

The former ballet dancer’s office is adorned with photos from old performances and an oversize poster of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian man,” left over from principals past. Two of his daughters graduated from the school, one in da Vinci’s inaugural class.

But Locke, who has also served as a principal at one of the small schools in now-closed Marshall High School, said he was compelled to shake up the school’s schedule after seeing da Vinci’s scores on state standardized tests compared to schools with similar demographics.

Only about one-quarter of da Vinci students qualify for federal free and reduced-price lunches.

For example, Da Vinci sixth-graders in 2013 outperformed their peers statewide by about 25 percentage points in reading. But they outperformed the state by only 8 percentage points in math.

At Robert Gray Middle School, with a similarly low student poverty rate, sixth graders excelled in both categories. They outperformed the state by 15 percentage points in reading and 19 percentage points in math.

He said he has seen how poor preparation in eighth grade can lead students to drop out later on.

"When 6 out of 10 kids are meeting benchmark, I'm super happy for them,” he said. “But when 4 out of 10 students aren't, that number is too large.”

The school is currently offering about 226 minutes of math a week. Locke says district officials told him they want middle schools to offer 275 minutes of math each week.

Locke said he supports the move because offering more math and science will bring more balance to the program and help struggling students. “I want to give our teachers every opportunity to do the very best they can with all kids,” he said.

The need for more math and science instruction has only been exacerbated by curriculum aligned by the Common Core state standards. Under state tests aligned with the standards, students will need to better explain their work with math and science, he said.

‘Core’ principles

But visual arts teacher Andrew Butterfield, da Vinci’s representative for the teachers union, says the changes will have a big impact on school culture.

At stake, Butterfield said, is a curriculum bursting with arts integration and a unique component that’s essential to building community.

The teachers are concerned about a different kind of “core” than the Common Core.

The term “core” at da Vinci refers to a set of three class periods dedicated to a mixture of language arts and social studies, often accompanied by art projects. The classes keep groups of students together for three periods a day, and students usually stay with the same core teachers throughout their time at da Vinci.

“Their core teacher is their parent,” he said. “They’re the one that follows them, and that they’re getting checked in with.”

Some of the concerns go beyond time spent on instruction. Ann Fournier, a core teacher who has taught at da Vinci for 10 years, said Locke has alienated staff members who felt like the changes came out of nowhere.

“There was no staff voice present or any voice from our community,” Fournier said. “They have been left in the dark about this really big decision.”

Gwen Sullivan, the Portland teachers union president, said she doesn’t understand why district leaders think it’s essential to standardize schools across the board, especially with programs that seem to be working.

“The beauty of this district in the past has been each school’s uniqueness, so I don’t know why they would do such a thing,” she said. “Every community in the city has something that we should embrace.”